James Fischer wrote:

> b) "The colonies fed uninverted sugar syrup lost fewest bees
>    and least weight during the winter. Colonies fed invertase-
>    inverted syrup lost more bees than colonies fed either
>    uninverted syrup or honey, and lost twice as much weight
>    as those fed uninverted syrup."  (Review of the data would
>    allow comparison of honey with uninverted sugar syrup.)
>
> That said, I think one must qualify one's criteria at least
> to the point of the length of time when cleansing flights
> would be fatal when discussing "feeds" and "overwintering".
> To me, the period that the bees are confined seems to be
> the mission-critical parameter.

True to an extent. Cleansing flights are a part of the solution of
overwintering in cold climates when discussing high particulate honey,
but the studies showed direct bee deaths with some feeds such as the
inverted sugar, boiled sugar syrup, and tartaric acid added to boiled
sugar syrup (which can invert sugar). The key here is that there are bee
fatalities and the length of the overwintering period will determine
survival if inferior feeds are used. In any case, the number of bees
coming out of the winter is key to a good honey crop, not just winter
survival, which makes cane sugar a superior feed.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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